angifi Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Today is day 31 and for the last couple of days I have been thinking about what I had hoped to achieve, and whether I have, and I can say, mostly, I am happy with the results. What I had hoped for: to feel energetic enough to keep up with my busy lifestyle to improve my relationship with food, as it has been used to treat boredom, frustration and depression to shed the extra weight I have been hanging onto for far too long to improve my relationship with my body- to love and accept it for all the fabulous things it does for me to learn the feeling of being hungry after years of hardly ever feeling that to improve the aches and pains I was starting to feel to improve the rosacea on my face to improve the belly-bloating and gut problems I've had for years What I discovered: I can last between meals,without having to eat a snack I don't need milk in my tea (I thought I would find that incredibly hard) and I don't miss it I have had more energy. I've always been a morning person, but now more than ever I'm ready to bounce out of bed with the sun My fitness has improved because I've had more energy, and more inclination to go swim training twice a week. I always feel so good afterwards, so I will definitely keep it up my relationship with food has improved. It nourishes me,it feeds me when I'm hungry, but I do not turn to it for comfort anymore. That in itself is a wonderful new freedom I have shed some weight.And though I'd love the scales to say I'd lost more, the amount has made a big difference. Clothes I couldn't wear before the whole 30 are now loose on me. I do love how that feels. I lost 4 kilos (8.8 pounds). I do have more to lose, and I hope sticking to this way of life will help me do that. I really love the feeling of hunger which signals it is time to eat. I don't get the "low sugar" hunger I used to get, I feel satisfied for so much longer and then I really enjoy my meal because I'm truly hungry. I don't have the aches and pains anymore - I don't feel them after sitting on the couch like I used to. I still have the redness of the rosacea on my left cheek, but haven't had any skin breakouts like I used to. I used to get at least three pimples pre-menstrually, but this time, only a tiny little one which disappeared overnight. My gut health is better, but I still have room for improvement. It improved a lot when I went "primal", but being primal seemed to leave room for "cheating" and eating a little bit of gluten free grain, a lot of dairy and a little sugar here and there. But doing the whole 30 has meant I've been pretty well bloat free, flatter stomach, the whole time. Future Tweaking: I think I eat too many nuts and use nut-butter to curb a sweet tooth, so I could eat less of these things The best part of all, is that I can say "no" to food that doesn't nourish my body, very easily. I used not to be able to say no to temptation.Which I really hated - I always felt I'd let myself down when I gave into temptation. But I've learned that I really can do it, and it isn't all about "will-power", it is about appreciating how my body feels when I leave those foods out, it's about not craving them anymore,and knowing that eating them will upset my body. I've had many, many compliments since doing the whole 30 - people say I look "well", "glowing" and have lost "a lot" of weight. I like that, but more importantly, I do feel better in my skin, and now I know I can be "one of those people" who has successful weight-loss, instead of someone who "is destined to be over-weight". According to the BMI chart, I need to lose another 10 kilograms to be a healthy weight, but that no longer makes me feel discouraged. It is my health that matters, having enough energy to be a good mother, do my job well and have time for friends and myself, that is what is important. And I also care about longevity, and I think this way of eating, will help that too. I want to be around for my youngest son, who was born when I was 41. So I need to be healthy. I would love to see everyone eat like this, but first I have to work on converting my husband and older children. Today, I started the day with breakfast which included some butter. It is probably the food I missed the most during the whole 30. I just love how it tastes and I don't like ghee very much. Perhaps I haven't found a good one, but the one I tried seemed to smell a little rancid, even though it wasn't past its best-before date. I've felt that about ghee previous times I've bought it too. So I cooked my mushrooms in butter this morning and they were delicious. But I don't feel I have to eat it everyday. I'll see how I feel over the next few days. I will try some nice whole yoghurt later today. I want to stay away from sugar as much as possible because I know eating it again will set off cravings and over-eating. I just think I don't need it, and I don't feel all that tempted by it. As for gluten free grain ( I will never eat gluten again, it is just so awful to my body), I also don't miss it much, so don't feel the need to eat it. But who knows? Wine, on the other hand, might be a temptation. This community has been a great support. Thank you. And thank you Melissa and Dallas for the book and website. It really helped me stick to this plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridget Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Great post-congratulations on a job very well done ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhmomi Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Angifi - Congratulations on an awesome Whole30!!! This comment is something I really can relate to - "I want to be around for my youngest son, who was born when I was 41." I had gained and lost the same 20-25 lbs too many times to count before starting to eat this way. I had my third child when I was 40. I could never seem to stick to an exercise program for more than a few months either. I felt tired. I didn't like to take my kids to the park in the summer because it was too hot and I refused to wear shorts. I didn't care for the pool either. I am not sure if it was a mid-life crisis or what, but I started to change my life about a year ago. I lost weight (before adopting Paleo and a focus on whole, unprocessed foods), then started exercising a little every day (even if it's just a walk), and I just completed my second Whole30 this week (extended to a Whole 45 and I am on Day 33). I still have plenty to improve (like why am I up and on the computer instead of in bed getting ready to go to sleep right now...), but I am so thrilled with the positive changes I have made in the last year. I am truly inspired to keep going because I can't wait to see what kind of health and fitness success the next 12 months will bring. Last summer I was a couch potato, but this summer I was anything but a couch potato. I had the best time having fun with my kids and being active. I started running recently and I think next year I will enroll my kids in a youth cross country team (primarily for elementary and middle school students zoned for my local high school) so we can run TOGETHER at the team practices 3x a week as a family. And I did a mud run with them over the summer (my pic is me with my daughter). I am 45 and finally beginning to DO some of the things I DREAMED about doing with my kids when we started our family. How cool is that? P.S. Try a different ghee. I have tried Purity Farms and Pure Indian Foods and both are very good. I keep mine in the fridge once opened. It's easy to grab a spoon and scrape off what I need quickly enough. A few seconds in the microwave helps if it seems more firm or I need a lot. You can make your own clarified butter from grass-fed butter too. I haven't tried it but you can do a google search on it. It seems pretty easy. Best of luck to you as you continue on your journey to get more healthy and more fit. It's great to do it for your kids, but it's also ok to do it for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Roy Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Great results! Congratulations on your success! I'm with jhmomi-try making your own ghee. It's SUPER easy! I also keep it in the fridge and scoop out what I need. One pound of butter turned into ghee usually lasts about 2-3 weeks. I think it still tastes like butter too. jhmomi-I stole your quote and have it on my whiteboard in my classroom. My middle school students just rolled their eyes when they saw it, but I just point to it when they grumble about a low grade on a quiz or test and now they get it. Good luck as you continue on your journey with your family. I'm trying to get my 21 year old daughter on board-not so easy-she's stubborn like her father! I just make sure to have leftovers for her or invite her to eat with me on the occasional mornings she and I are up and home together. My husband is the one who got us started on this journey, so if it works for him, I'm confident we can get her on board too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhmomi Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Great results! Congratulations on your success! I'm with jhmomi-try making your own ghee. It's SUPER easy! I also keep it in the fridge and scoop out what I need. One pound of butter turned into ghee usually lasts about 2-3 weeks. I think it still tastes like butter too. jhmomi-I stole your quote and have it on my whiteboard in my classroom. My middle school students just rolled their eyes when they saw it, but I just point to it when they grumble about a low grade on a quiz or test and now they get it. Good luck as you continue on your journey with your family. I'm trying to get my 21 year old daughter on board-not so easy-she's stubborn like her father! I just make sure to have leftovers for her or invite her to eat with me on the occasional mornings she and I are up and home together. My husband is the one who got us started on this journey, so if it works for him, I'm confident we can get her on board too! I saw that quote this summer and stole it too. Don't know who its from but I loved it the moment I read it. Need to post it in my home for my kids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnofIreland Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Congrats! Don't worry about BMI, it's just set up for the insurance companies! You feel better, you look better and your relationship is healthy with food and THAT lets to have time to spend on the relationship with your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 How did I miss this? great read aand great results, well done you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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